Improvement in felted fabric



ainited Stanza THOMAS" CROSSLE-Y, OF- BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT.

' Letters Patent No. 86,510, dated February 2, I869.

IMPROVEMENT IN I'ELTED FABRIC.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it ma/y concern:

' Be it known that I, THOMAS ORossLEY, of Bridgepoit, in the county of Fairfield, and State of Oonnecticut, have invented Improvements in the Manufacture of Felted Fabrics, for carpets and other uses; and

felting process, and are afterwards hardened into a firm cloth by the process of fulIing, the action of the teazles in gigging has been to break the fibres, in order to obtain a raised surface. This has prevented the raising of a long nap upon felted cloths, and the nap obtained has been coarse, andnnmana/geable in the process of finishing, by, reason of the fibres being broken .in the middle of their length, instead of being drawn out at one of the ends. This dificulty does not pre sent itself to so great an extent in woven goods, as the fibres of the material used are twisted in a horizontal position, from which the ends of the fibres may be reached by the teazle, without beingbroken.

' It is well known that much more brilliant and richer colon'ngs can be produced upon a raised or velvet surface upon woollen, silk, or fur cloth, than upon such cloths where the surface is not mapped or raised, and it has" been long considered'important that some .plan should be discovered whereby a felted cloth might be teazled, and a velvet surface thereby raised, without breaking or otherwise injuring the fibre.

After much experimenting, I have discovered that this result may be obtained by submitting the felted cloth to the gigging-process before being fully hard ened by the process of fulling. .For instance, if fifty yards of felted cloth require to be submitted to the process of fulling for the space of one hour, in order to give the fabric sutficient firmness or hardness, I remove it from the fulling-machineafter, say, from twenty to thirty minutes, and pass it over the'teazling-gig for a sufficientlength of time, to raise a'nap of the length required. Afterwards I again put it in the fulling-stock, say, for fifteen minutes, then teazle it in the fullingstock fifteen minutes, or until the cloth is of the required firmness. It is then finished byteazling on the gig until the desired length of nap is obtained.

By this method the end of the fibre is drawn from the felt without being broken, while, at the same time, the required firmness of fabric is obtained.

Felted cloths may in this manner he produced of any desired weight or thickness, and with any length of nap required, and may be afterwards dyed and printed, or dyed orprinted in any color or colors or pattern required, and having all the richness and brilliancy of effect which is to be found upon velvet or Wilton carpets, and at a very much reduced cost, while having as desirable a quality of fabric.

What I claim as" my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A felted fabric, with velvet, plush, or napped surface, produced in the manner substantially asset forth, as a new article of manufacture.

dyed or printed, or dyed and printed.

3. Further, the method herein described for produ- THOMAS CRossLEv. 1.. 8.] Witnesses J. B. Donson, E

Clerks with Rowley d3: OYRus Amswonrn,

Page, Solrs, Manchester.

, 2. A napped felted fabric, substantially as described, I 

